C17 Assistant

"Trembleglades?"

The elder's face shifted subtly.

His name was Yan Hui, a representative of the Coldhammers.

He had traveled to the Su family in Suuton with a singular goal: to locate Su Li and enlist his aid in helping the Coldhammers weather their current crisis.

Despite relocating their headquarters to Ouismouth, the Coldhammers' location had been uncovered by the royal family and the Mo family.

Now, the royal and Mo family's experts had Ouismouth encircled, awaiting only the arrival of the Mo family patriarch and the reigning monarch to initiate their assault.

In such dire straits, the Coldhammers' only hope for survival was to seek external assistance.

Within the Mollukya Empire, the three dominant powers were the royal family, the Mo family, and the Coldhammers themselves.

With the royal and Mo families aligned against them, what options remained for the Coldhammers?

Thankfully, He Shun and Xie Yan had managed to return to Ouismouth.

They brought with them crucial intelligence: Su Li had wrested a mystical scroll from Mo Ling, the Mo family's Second Elder, at Wengfeng Temple.

The formidable power of the scroll was beyond question.

Thus, Yan Hui volunteered to approach the Su family in Suuton and negotiate the purchase of the scroll from Su Li.

Yet, the current predicament left Yan Hui with a grim expression, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Helping Su Li against Zhao Tuo, who was contending with the Trembleglades, could secure the scroll.

However, such an action would irrevocably antagonize the Trembleglades, drawing an even greater calamity upon the Coldhammers.

Failing to assist Su Li, on the other hand, would leave the Coldhammers' crisis unresolved.

As for appealing to Zhao Tuo for aid, Yan Hui dismissed the notion entirely.

The ruler of the Mollukya Empire had previously saved an elder of the Trembleglades and had even trained within their ranks.

The fact that the Trembleglades had not joined the assault on the Coldhammers was already a stroke of luck; expecting them to intervene was utterly impractical.

"Let's go all out!"

Recalling a covert remark from Xie Yan before his departure, Yan Hui clenched his jaw and declared resolutely, "Trembleglades be damned! The Coldhammers and the Su family are allies. I strongly caution you against harboring any designs on the Su family!"

Yan Hui had faith in Xie Yan. As the chief alchemist of the Coldhammers, Xie Yan's contributions were indispensable to the organization's growth, second only to the pavilion master's leadership. If Xie Yan held Su Li in such high regard, then Yan Hui was committed to going all out to protect Su Li and the Su family. This could very well be the Coldhammers' only chance to turn the tide.

"How dare you!" Zhao Tuo's face was a mask of icy fury. He hadn't expected the elder before him to remain defiant even after the Trembleglades were mentioned. Did the old man not fear their vengeance?

In a flash, Zhao Tuo leaped into action, lunging at Yan Hui. The clash resumed with a thunderous roar. Yan Hui, at the peak of the early Celestial River Realm and not far from the middle stage, was a formidable opponent. The outcome of the skirmish between him and Zhao Tuo was predictable.

With a resounding thud, it took merely a matter of seconds for Zhao Tuo to be overpowered. Naturally, Yan Hui had the audacity to defeat Zhao Tuo but stopped short of killing him. He kicked Zhao Tuo towards Su Li and declared, "He's yours to deal with."

"Thank you," Su Li responded, nodding with respect to Yan Hui before turning to Zhao Tuo. "As I warned you before, by coming here, you must have been ready to face death at my hands."

"Do you dare kill me?" Zhao Tuo quickly regained his calm, struggling to his feet and brushing off the dirt. "I must admit, I underestimated you. The fact that a Celestial River Realm warrior would heed your command is indeed impressive."

Zhao Tuo's composure was calculated; he aimed to drive a wedge between Yan Hui and Su Li, hoping to create mistrust. What he didn't realize was that the Coldhammers were on the brink of collapse, and Yan Hui was in dire need of the mystical scroll Su Li possessed. Thus, his attempts at manipulation were futile.

"Humph! Do you really think I'm afraid to kill you?!"

Su Li snorted coldly and advanced a step, his right foot crashing down onto Zhao Tuo's chest.

Crack crack crack!

In an instant, several of Zhao Tuo's ribs snapped.

"You'll regret it if you kill me, you'll meet a terrible end!"

Zhao Tuo spat out the words with venom.

Swish!

Su Li had no time for Zhao Tuo's bluster.

He concentrated his Genuine Qi into his ankle and thrust down with force.

Crack!

In a moment, Zhao Tuo's ribs shattered completely, his internal organs suffering severe damage.

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't kill me. I have vital information for you, about your master, Ling Xu!"

Facing death, Zhao Tuo's composure crumbled, and he blurted out in desperation, "When you left Trembleglades, your master, Ling Xu, and the Sect Master, Shen Qiang, were evenly matched in cultivation. But recently, the Sect Master has been in seclusion, attempting to break through to a higher realm. If he succeeds, your master, Ling Xu, is as good as dead!"

"What!"

Su Li roared in anger.

He owed his life after leaving Trembleglades to Ling Xu.

Without Ling Xu, he would have been killed once his Most High Bone was stripped away.

He knew all too well that Ling Xu had expended a great deal of resources to protect him and had made an enemy of Shen Qiang.

It was clear to him.

If Shen Qiang's cultivation improved, Ling Xu was in grave danger!

Su Li's fists tightened in silent resolve.

However, he remained rational.

Trembleglades was a force to be reckoned with, teeming with formidable experts.

For him to storm into Trembleglades now would be like a lamb walking into a lion's den.

Taking a deep breath, Su Li fixed his gaze on Zhao Tuo and said once more, "Your news is not worth sparing your life."

"I..."

Zhao Tuo was on the verge of tears.

Despite his Celestial River Realm status, he was a nobody at Trembleglades.

Had it not been for his close ties with Shen Ning, he'd still be stuck at the peak of the Oceanic Wheel Realm, unable to progress to the Celestial River Realm.

"Have you run out of news? Then your time has come."

Su Li's expression remained impassive as he applied more force with his right foot, preparing to finish off Zhao Tuo.

"The Starlit Labyrinth!"

In this critical moment between life and death.

Zhao Tuo seemed to remember something important and hurriedly said, "I overheard a conversation between Shen Ning and her father, Shen Qiang. The Starlit Labyrinth is about to open, and when it does, all the major powers of the Northern Spirit Realm will be there."

Su Li's brow creased slightly.

Above the Celestial River state was the Mystic Insight, followed by the Divine Sea, earthly essence, and at the top, the heavenly essence.

Each Starlit Labyrinth represents a fatal attraction for kingdom-level forces.

This is because only sects or nations with Heavenly Essence Realm experts can be considered empires.

Put simply.

The distinction between a kingdom and an empire hinges on whether they possess Heavenly Essence Realm warriors or those even more powerful.

"Where is the Starlit Labyrinth, and when can I enter?" inquired Su Li.

"The Starlit Labyrinth is located in the Yun Meng Mountain Range, but I'm not privy to the exact location or when it opens," Zhao Tuo confessed, not daring to fabricate a lie. He continued to plead, "Release me, and I can help you find out the precise details!"

"Do you take me for a fool?" Su Li retorted icily. "Trying to pacify me with this information? In that case, you might as well..."

Whoosh!

Before Su Li could finish his sentence, Zhao Tuo swiftly pulled a black spherical object from his robes and hurled it!